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Boston Celtics Still A Player Away From Next Level

By Simon Smith

Nov 23, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas (4) celebrates with Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) during the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas (4) celebrates with Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) during the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 2, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens talks with Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) and forward Jae Crowder (99) and guard Avery Bradley (0) during the first half against the Sacramento Kings at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 2, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens talks with Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) and forward Jae Crowder (99) and guard Avery Bradley (0) during the first half against the Sacramento Kings at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /

Player Analysis

Avery Bradley Net Rating

From a statistical standpoint, Bradley is having an excellent season. He is currently averaging 17.7 points and a team high 6.9 rebounds per game from the shooting guard slot. However when breaking down the metrics, his overall impact has been questionable.

He is the only Celtics starter with a negative net rating at minus-0.1 per game. But more alarming is the fact the Celtics as a team have a net rating of plus-8.1 when Bradley is off the court. Also, Bradley leads the team in minutes at 34.9 per game, which only exacerbates these figures.

Isaiah Thomas Net Rating

Here are the numbers for Thomas this season when he is on and off the court:

On
Offensive Rating (Celtics points scored per 100 possessions): 112.6
Defensive Rating (Opponents points scored per 100 possessions): 110.1

Off
Offensive Rating: 101.7
Defensive Rating: 98.3

There is a marked difference in the team’s offensive and defensive performance when Thomas is on or off the court. One plausible explanation is the pace (possessions per 48 minutes) measurement.

When Thomas is on the court, the Celtics average 99.12 possessions per 48 minutes. This would rank 14th in the league over the course of the season to this point.

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    • When he is off the court, this drops to 96.87, which would rank the Celtics 25th in the league for pace. Therefore, the Celtics like to speed up the game when Thomas is on the floor and slow it down when he’s resting.

    The problem is that Thomas has the worst defensive rating of the Celtics’ starters.  And as can be seen his net rating is stronger when he is off the court (3.5) than on the court (2.5).

    Jae Crowder Net Rating

    Of all Boston’s starters and main contributors, Crowder has had the most discernible impact with these measurements. As the Celtics’ starting small forward, Crowder’s impact on both ends of the floor can be seen with the following:

    On
    Offensive Rating: 112.5
    Defensive Rating: 104.2

    Off
    Offensive Rating: 104.4
    Defensive Rating: 107.7

    As can be seen, the Celtics are noticeably worse both offensively and defensively when Crowder rests. Currently posting 13.0 points and 5.1 rebounds in 31.8 minutes per game, Crowder is an ideal wing in the modern-day NBA.

    His ability to knock down the open three and defend a variety o players makes his a very valuable commodity.

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